Top US officials could be offered the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as Monday, but Trump said he'd wait to receive it until the 'appropriate time'

• President Donald Trump tweeted Sunday night that he'd wait until the "appropriate time" to receive a coronavirus vaccine.
• His tweet, in which he also said White House staff members would be vaccinated "somewhat later in the program," came after reports indicated top US government officials might be among those first in line for the vaccine.
• The Food and Drug Administration granted emergency authorization to Pfizer and BioNTech's vaccine on Friday, and truckloads of the drug started rolling out of Pfizer's Michigan plant over the weekend.

President Donald Trump and other top US government officials could be offered a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as Monday, sources told Bloomberg, though Trump on Sunday said he did not plan to be among the first people to receive the shot.

The Food and Drug Administration granted emergency authorization to Pfizer and BioNTech's vaccine on Friday, and truckloads of the drug started rolling out of Pfizer's Michigan plant over the weekend.

Bloomberg was among multiple outlets on Sunday to report that government officials could be among the first people in the US to get the shot. Reuters reported that the vaccine would be offered to Trump, who was hospitalized with COVID-19 in October, and other officials deemed essential to ensure continuity in government. Critical staff members in all three branches of government were also said to be expected to be offered the vaccine in the coming days.

"The American people should have confidence that they are receiving the same safe and effective vaccine as senior officials of the United States government on the advice of public-health professionals and national security leadership," John Ullyot, a spokesman for the National Security Council, said in a statement, according to Bloomberg.

Trump appeared to lower the scope of such plans Sunday night, however, tweeting that he did not plan to be vaccinated as early as possible and that other White House employees should not either unless "specifically necessary."

"People working in the White House should receive the vaccine somewhat later in the program, unless specifically necessary," he wrote. "I have asked that this adjustment be made. I am not scheduled to take the vaccine, but look forward to doing so at the appropriate time."

It is not clear when President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris might have access to the shots.

The former US presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton have offered to receive the vaccine while being filmed to build public confidence in the drug's safety.

The federal government is distributing the vaccine to states and territories based on their adult populations, while each state can determine how to distribute its supply. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that healthcare workers and nursing-home residents be first in line to receive the vaccine.

Stephen Hahn, the commissioner of the FDA, said Sunday that the first COVID-19 vaccinations could be administered as early as Monday.

Pfizer and BioNTech's drug is the first COVID-19 vaccine authorized for use in the US. The emergency authorization came after an independent expert panel evaluated the data on the vaccine last week. Moderna's vaccine is still under review but could receive similar authorization shortly.

It will most likely take months before a COVID-19 vaccine is made available to any American who wants one. Business Insider's Hilary Brueck has reported that it's possible everyone in the US who wants a shot could have access to one by the end of May.